Publications des scientifiques de l'IRD

Casile Anne. (2021). Climatic variation and society in medieval South Asia : unexplored threads of history and archaeology of Mandu. Medieval History Journal, 24 (1-2), 56-91. ISSN 0971-9458.

Titre du document
Climatic variation and society in medieval South Asia : unexplored threads of history and archaeology of Mandu
Année de publication
2021
Type de document
Article référencé dans le Web of Science WOS:000730725800004
Auteurs
Casile Anne
Source
Medieval History Journal, 2021, 24 (1-2), 56-91 ISSN 0971-9458
Instabilities of the monsoon climate system, along with alternating periods of severe dryness and wetness, are known to have punctuated and disrupted the lives of peoples and institutions across Asia during medieval times. As far as India is concerned, the topic has attracted little attention from historians and archaeologists. Did climatic variations play a determining role in societal changes in medieval times? The aim of this article is not to answer, but to raise and refine this question by calling for new interdisciplinary initiatives which would enrich our reading and understanding of the past and contribute different threads to the narratives of medieval history and archaeology. While doing so, it highlights two lingering 'lacks' underlying the well-established historiography: the lack of attention to nature, and thus to climate; and the lack of archaeology. Attention is then focused on recent advances in palaeoclimatology and in research linking climate and society, in which India is yet to find a substantial place. Finally, the article outlines prospects and openings for the study of the medieval past as it relates to the climate-water-society nexus, by presenting an ongoing project called MANDU exploring histories and archaeologies of the land-waterscapes of Mandu in Central India.
Plan de classement
Sociétés, développement culturel [112]
Description Géographique
INDE ; MADHYA PRADESH
Localisation
Fonds IRD [F B010083871]
Identifiant IRD
fdi:010083871
Contact